Generating an image using automatic mode settings while in manual mode

ABSTRACT

Methods and devices are described for image or video capture while in a manual mode. In some aspects, a device includes one or more processors. The device also includes a memory coupled to the one or more processors. The memory includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the device to generate a first image frame of a scene using manual mode settings and generate a second image frame of the scene using automatic mode settings different from the manual mode settings.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to controlling cameras, andspecifically to generating one or more images using automatic modesettings while in a manual mode.

BACKGROUND

Many electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, home securitysystems, automobiles, drones, and aircrafts, use one or more cameras tocapture images and video. Each of the one or more cameras is initializedprior to use, for example, by determining one or more initial settingsfor capturing images. Additionally, a controller or one or moreprocessors may use one or more initial settings for processing images.Devices may have an automatic mode during which initial capture settingsand initial processing settings are automatically determined, and mayalso have a manual mode during which one or more of the initial settingsmay be manually set by a user.

During the manual mode, the user may set initial capture settings orinitial processing settings that cause the device to capture alower-quality image than would have been captured using theautomatically determined initial settings. It is desirable to improvethe quality of images generated by a device when operating in such amanual mode.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce in a simplified form a selectionof concepts that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tolimit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to methods and devicesfor generating one or more images using automatic mode settings whileoperating in a manual mode. In some aspects, a device is disclosed thatincludes a memory coupled to one or more processors. The memory includesinstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causesthe device to generate a first image frame of a scene using manual modesettings and generate a second image frame of the scene using automaticmode settings different from the manual mode settings.

In another aspect, a method is disclosed for generating one or moreimages using automatic mode settings while operating in a manual mode.The method includes generating a first image frame of a scene usingmanual mode settings, and generating a second image frame of the sceneusing automatic mode settings different from the manual mode settings.

In another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium isdisclosed. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may storeone or more programs containing instructions that, when executed by oneor more processors of a device operating in a manual mode, cause thedevice to perform a number of operations. The number of operations mayinclude generating a first image frame of a scene using manual modesettings and generating a second image frame of the scene usingautomatic mode settings different from the manual mode settings.

In another aspect, a device is disclosed. The device may include meansfor means for generating a first image frame of a scene using manualmode settings and means for generating a second image frame of the sceneusing automatic mode settings different from the manual mode settings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of this disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and not byway of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and inwhich like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts an example generated image of a scene using an exposurevalue manually set in a manual mode alongside an example generated imageof the same scene using an exposure value automatically set in anautomatic mode.

FIG. 2A depicts an example device including a camera.

FIG. 2B depicts another example device including a camera.

FIG. 3A depicts an example device including multiple cameras.

FIG. 3B depicts another example device including multiple cameras.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example device including a camera.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example device including multiplecameras.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation forcapturing an image using one or more automatic mode capture settingswhile in a manual mode.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation forsequentially capturing a first image using capture settings for a firstmode and capturing a second image using capture settings for a secondmode.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation forusing different cameras to capture a first image using capture settingsfor the first mode and to capture a second image using capture settingsfor the second mode.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example image signal processor.

FIG. 10 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation forprocessing images captured using one or more different automatic modeprocessing settings and one or more manual mode processing settings.

FIG. 11A is an example side-by-side view of multiple previews.

FIG. 11B is an example picture-in-picture view of multiple previews.

FIG. 12 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation forgenerating multiple previews using multiple cameras and capturingmultiple images using one camera.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure may allow a device to generate one ormore images using automatic mode settings while in a manual mode, andmay be applicable to any device having or coupled to one or more cameras(such as a consumer device with a camera or with a dual camera module).In the following description, settings for generating a camera imageinclude capture settings and processing settings. Capture settings aresettings for configuring a camera to capture an image or settings thatotherwise affect the capture of an image. Camera features or devicefeatures that may affect the capture of an image include, but are notlimited to, a camera sensor sensitivity, a camera shutter speed, acamera aperture size, a camera lens focal length, and a light source(such as a flash). One or more of the features may be adjustable by thedevice and the user. Example capture settings that adjust the camera ordevice features affecting the capture of an image include, but are notlimited to, an ISO setting, camera shutter setting, aperture sizesetting, an optical zoom setting, and various flash settings (such aswhether the flash is active, flash brightness, flash duration, and flashcolor). Devices with multiple cameras may also have an adjustable depthof field setting.

An ISO setting value may indicate the sensitivity of the camera sensor,with a higher value indicating higher sensitivity for the camera sensor.A camera shutter setting may indicate a number of images that can becaptured in a second, the amount of time before closing the camerashutter, or some other measurement of time indicating the amount of timethe camera sensor is exposed for receiving light through the cameraaperture. A camera aperture size setting may be a number or value toindicate the size of the aperture. The value may indicate a specificsize of the aperture or indicate the size of the aperture relative tothe size of the camera sensor.

For an optical zoom setting, a camera focal length may indicate thedistance from the camera lens to where light is focused after passingthrough the camera lens. With a camera lens having a fixed curvature,objects further from the camera come into focus for an image andincrease in size in an image as the camera lens moves away from thecamera sensor. An optical zoom setting may thus indicate a change in thecamera focal length. The setting value may be a multiple of a baselinefocal length (such as 2×, 4×, and so on).

A device may also include a flash to provide light for low-lightenvironments. Some settings that may be adjustable include, but are notlimited to, the brightness of the flash, the duration of the flash,whether the flash strobes or is steady, and the light color for theflash.

Alternative or in addition to an ISO setting, camera shutter setting,and aperture size setting, an exposure value setting may be used toadjust one or more of the camera sensor sensitivity, the camera shutterspeed, and the camera aperture size. For example, the aperture size maybe fixed, and an exposure value setting is used for adjusting the camerasensor sensitivity and the shutter speed. Exposure values may beexpressed in terms of f-values or stops, and may be measured as anamount of brightness for a unit of area (such as in units of candelasper square feet (cd/ft²) or candelas per square meter (cd/m²)). One stopabove or more refers to a doubling of the amount of light received by acamera sensor (such as 2*x cd/ft²), and one stop below or less refers toa halving of the amount of light received by the camera sensor (such asx/2 cd/ft²).

A depth of field setting indicates a range of depth for which theclosest depth from the camera and the furthest depth from the camera arein focus. A greater value indicates a larger range of depth that appearsin focus for an image. If capturing an image using multiple cameras, thedepths of field for the multiple cameras may be used to adjust the depthof field for a resulting image. For example, is a user requests aspecific depth of field greater than one camera's depth of field,different cameras may use different focal lengths for capturing multipleimages. With each image having a depth of field for a focal length, thecaptured images may be blended for the final image to appear to have adepth of field greater than for one camera. Adjusting a depth of fieldmay also include adjusting processing the captured images. Processingsettings are discussed in more detail below.

After using capture settings to capture an image, a device may useprocessing settings to process the captured image and generate the finalimage. One or more processing settings may be determined or adjusted bya device or a user, and an image signal processor may use the processingsettings to generate the final image. Example processing settings thatmay be adjustable include a white or color balance setting, a gammacorrection setting, a noise reduction setting, a digital zoom setting,and an image sharpening (edge enhancement) setting. Another exampleprocessing setting may be a depth of field setting (as previouslydescribed).

A white balance setting may indicate how to compensate for the color ofthe lighting in a scene. For example, if the lighting for a capturedimage is a cool color temperature (such as a bluish tint that may beprovided by fluorescent lights or a device flash), a device may use thewhite balance setting to adjust the color in the captured image so thatthe final image appears to include warmer color temperature lighting. Awhite balance setting may also be used to tint or color the capturedimage during processing. In addition to a device using a white balancesetting to adjust the color temperature for an image, a device mayadjust the color temperature of the flash if a flash is used.

A gamma correction setting (or gamma setting) may indicate how much toencode a brightness of a captured image when generating a final image.For example, a change in gamma correction may cause a final image to bedarker or lighter. For example, an increase in a gamma correctionsetting may cause shadows in a generated image to appear darker.Conversely, a decrease in a gamma correction setting may cause shadowsin a generated image to appear lighter. In some examples, a correctionsetting may be a value, with greater than one indicating a decrease inapparent brightness, and less than one indicating an increase inapparent brightness.

A noise reduction setting may be used to remove noise in a capturedimage. An ISO setting or exposure value setting may be increased forcapturing an image in lower light settings. As a result, the capturedimage may include more pixels with noise dispersed in the image. Thecaptured image may therefore appear to have snow or static from thenoise. An image signal processor may reduce noise by reducing theintensity of the pixels with noise. For example, the image signalprocessor may apply a mask to each pixel of a captured image to averagethe neighboring pixel intensities. As a result, the pixel intensity fornoise may be replaced with an averaged pixel intensity. Such a mask maycause blurring, and many noise reduction filters are called blurringfilters. A noise reduction setting may indicate, e.g., the size of amask for averaging, the weights for the positions in the mask forweighted averaging, or the type of noise reduction filter to be used. Anexample noise reduction filter is a bilateral filter, and the noisereduction setting may be one or more smoothing parameters to be appliedfor the noise reduction filter. As a result, a change in a noisereduction setting may increase or decrease the amount of blurring of acaptured image, and determining a noise reduction setting may bebalanced between blurring the captured image and removing noise from thecaptured image.

A digital zoom setting, as compared to an optical zoom setting,indicates a zoom to be applied in processing a captured image for afixed optical zoom. For example, an image may be captured at a specificfocal length, and an image signal processor may process the capturedimage so that the generated image is zoomed in on a portion of thecaptured image. A digital zoom setting may allow a user to zoom in on anobject if the camera lens is fixed, or may allow a user to zoom in on anobject past a maximum optical zoom setting for the camera. For example,an image signal processor may crop a portion of the captured image, andexpand the cropped portion to fill the same size as the captured image.Adjusting contrast, edge enhancement, and other filtering may beperformed for the digital zoom to compensate for less captureinformation being used to generate an image. For example, when zoomingin on an object using a digital zoom, the edges of the object may appearblurred. As a result, an edge enhancement filter may adjust the contrastor rate of contrast in intensity of an edge. In adjusting the rate ofcontrast, the edge enhancement filter may adjust the size or thicknessof an edge.

An edge enhancement or image sharpening setting may indicate an increaseor decrease in a rate of contrast between intensities. For example, thesetting may be used to identify edges to be sharpened, and may be usedto determine how much to sharpen an identified edge. If a captured imageis blurred by a noise reduction filter, an edge enhancement filter maybe used to reconstruct edges that are blurred.

A device is not required to use all of the described settings, and adevice may use other settings not described. Therefore, while someexample capture settings and processing settings are provided, othercapture settings or processing settings may exist, and the presentdisclosure should not be limited to any specific group of capture orprocessing settings.

A device may be configured to allow a user to determine one or more ofthe capture settings and processing settings in a manual mode, and thedevice may automatically determine settings not determined by the userin the manual mode. The device may use the manually determined settingsby a user, and use automatically determined or predefined values for thesettings not determined by a user, to capture and process an image. Fora manual mode, a device may include a graphical user interface to showdifferent values that a user can select for a capture setting orprocessing setting. In one example, if a user is to adjust the exposurevalue setting, the user may go to a menu for the exposure value andselect a stop to be used for capturing the image. The user may thenproceed through other menus of the graphical user interface to determineor adjust one or more other settings (such as color balance, zoom,flash, and so on), and the device automatically determines any remainingcapture or processing settings not determined by the user. In anotherexample, a user may select a scene type, with the device includingdifferent camera and/or processing settings corresponding to theselected scene type. The device then uses the corresponding settings tocapture and process an image.

Alternatively, a device may automatically determine all of the capturesettings and processing settings in an automatic mode. For example, whena user opens a camera application on a smartphone, or when a user placesa digital camera into an automatic mode, the device determines thesettings for capturing and processing the image without additional inputfrom the user.

When one or more settings for capturing or processing an image ismanually set by a user when the device is in the manual mode, the manualsettings selected by the user may result in a less desirable image thanwould have been generated using settings automatically determined by thedevice in an automatic mode. For example, before capturing an image, auser may use one or more device menus to manually set an exposure value(which may include setting the camera aperture size, the camera sensorsensitivity, and/or the camera shutter speed) that is lower than theexposure value that would have been automatically determined by thedevice. For dark or low lighting scenes (such as at sunrise, at sunset,at twilight, while indoors, or other dimly lit scenes), the lowerexposure value manually selected by the user may cause the camera tocapture less light and thereby generate a less desirable image (such aswith less scene detail) than would have been generated using an exposurevalue automatically determined by the device in the automatic mode.

In some example implementations, a device may capture and/or process animage using automatic mode settings and capture and/or process anotherimage using manual mode settings. In this manner, if the image capturedand/or processed using the manual mode settings is less desirable thanan image captured and/or processed using the automatic mode settings, auser still has the ability save or keep the image for the automatic modesettings. If the device processes two images using manual mode settingsand automatic mode settings, the device may generate two images, andboth images may be used or stored, or the user may select one of theimages for use or storage (and thus discarding the other image). A usermay determine capture and processing settings before capturing an image.Alternatively, the device may be configured to allow a user to determineone or more processing settings after capture. For example, the user maypreview the captured image while adjusting a blurring or noise removalsetting until the user determines a desired setting. The device thenprocesses the captured image using the processing settings to generate afinal image.

FIG. 1 depicts an example generated image 102 of a scene using anexposure value manually selected by a user when the device is in amanual mode alongside an example generated image 104 of the same sceneusing an exposure value automatically selected by the device in anautomatic mode. As shown in FIG. 1, the manually selected exposure valuemay cause the image 102 to include less detail of the scene than theimage 104, for example, such that the user may prefer the image 104generated when the device is in the automatic mode over the image 102generated when the device is in the manual mode. In some exampleimplementations, when a device is in a manual mode (such as forcapturing and processing image 102), another image may be generatedusing the automatic mode settings (such as for capturing and processingimage 104). The manual-mode image and the automatic-mode image may bothbe stored by the device, or alternatively, a user may be presented withboth the manual-mode image and the automatic-mode image and prompted toselect which of the images (one or both) are to be stored by the device.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forthsuch as examples of specific components, circuits, and processes toprovide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The term“coupled” as used herein means connected directly to or connectedthrough one or more intervening components or circuits. Also, in thefollowing description and for purposes of explanation, specificnomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of thepresent disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that these specific details may not be required to practice theteachings disclosed herein. In other instances, well-known circuits anddevices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring teachings ofthe present disclosure. Some portions of the detailed descriptions whichfollow are presented in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processingand other symbolic representations of operations on data bits within acomputer memory. These descriptions and representations are the meansused by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectivelyconvey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. In thepresent disclosure, a procedure, logic block, process, or the like, isconceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps or instructionsleading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, although not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated in a computer system.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present application,discussions utilizing the terms such as “accessing,” “receiving,”“sending,” “using,” “selecting,” “determining,” “normalizing,”“multiplying,” “averaging,” “monitoring,” “comparing,” “applying,”“updating,” “measuring,” “deriving” or the like, refer to the actionsand processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computingdevice, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

In the figures, a single block may be described as performing a functionor functions; however, in actual practice, the function or functionsperformed by that block may be performed in a single component or acrossmultiple components, and/or may be performed using hardware, usingsoftware, or using a combination of hardware and software. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps aredescribed below generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure. Also, the example devices may includecomponents other than those shown, including well-known components suchas a processor, memory and the like.

Aspects of the present disclosure are applicable to any suitable device(such as smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, digital cameras, webcameras, a security system, automobiles, drones, aircraft, and so on)having or coupled to one or more cameras. For multiple cameras, thecameras may include a primary camera and one or more auxiliary cameraswith similar capabilities as the primary camera. For example, a devicemay include a dual camera module with two cameras. The camera(s) may beable to capture and process still images or video. While described belowwith respect to capturing and processing images, aspects of the presentdisclosure are applicable to capturing and processing video, and aretherefore not limited to still images.

FIG. 2A depicts an example device 200 including a camera 202 arranged ina first configuration, and FIG. 2B depicts an example device 210including a camera 212 arranged in a second configuration. FIG. 3Adepicts an example device 300 including a dual camera with a firstcamera 302 and a second camera 304 arranged in a first configuration,and FIG. 3B depicts an example device 310 including a dual camera with afirst camera 312 and a second camera 314 arranged in a secondconfiguration. In some aspects, one of the cameras (such as the firstcameras 302 and 312 of respective devices 300 and 310) may be a primarycamera, and the other of the cameras (such as the second cameras 304 and314 respective devices 300 and 310) may be an auxiliary camera. Thesecond cameras 304 and 314 may have the same characteristics andcapabilities (such as the same focal length, same capture rate, sameresolution, same color palette, and the same field of view or capture)as the first cameras 302 and 312, respectively. Alternatively, thesecond cameras 304 and 314 may have different characteristics andabilities than the first cameras 302 and 312, respectively. Anyconfiguration of cameras may be used, and the disclosure should not belimited to the illustrated examples in FIGS. 2A-3B.

The term “device” is not limited to one or a specific number of physicalobjects (such as one smartphone). As used herein, a device may be anyelectronic device with multiple parts that may implement at least someportions of this disclosure. In one example, a device may be a videosecurity system including one or more hubs and one or more separatecameras. In another example, a device may be a smartphone including twocameras such as, for example, the example devices 300 and 310 of FIGS.3A and 3B, respectively. While the below description and examples usethe term “device” to describe various aspects of this disclosure, theterm “device” is not limited to a specific configuration, type, ornumber of objects.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example device 400 including a camera402. The example device 400, which may be one implementation of thedevices 200 and 210 of FIGS. 2A and 2B, may be any suitable devicecapable of capturing images or video including, for example, wired andwireless communication devices (such as camera phones, smartphones,tablets, security systems, dash cameras, laptop computers, desktopcomputers, automobiles, drones, aircraft, and so on), digital cameras(including still cameras, video cameras, and so on), or any othersuitable device. The example device 400 is shown in FIG. 4 to include acamera 402, a processor 406, a memory 408 storing instructions 410, acamera controller 412, a display 416, and a number of input/output (I/O)components 418. The device 400 may include additional features orcomponents not shown. For example, a wireless interface, which mayinclude a number of transceivers and a baseband processor, may beincluded for a wireless communication device.

The camera 402 may be capable of capturing individual image frames (suchas still images) and/or capturing video (such as a succession ofcaptured image frames). The camera 402 may also include one or moreimage sensors (not shown for simplicity) and shutters for capturing animage frame and providing the captured image frame to the cameracontroller 412.

The memory 408 may be a non-transient or non-transitory computerreadable medium storing computer-executable instructions 410 to performall or a portion of one or more operations described in this disclosure.The device 400 may also include a power supply 420, which may be coupledto or integrated into the device 400.

The processor 406 may be one or more suitable processors capable ofexecuting scripts or instructions of one or more software programs (suchas the instructions 410) stored within the memory 408. In some aspects,the processor 406 may be one or more general purpose processors thatexecute the instructions 410 to cause the device 400 to perform anynumber of functions or operations. In additional or alternative aspects,the processor 406 may include integrated circuits or other hardware toperform functions or operations without the use of software. While shownto be coupled to each other via the processor 406 in the example of FIG.4, the processor 406, the memory 408, the camera controller 412, thedisplay 416, and the I/O components 418 may be coupled to one another invarious arrangements. For example, the processor 406, the memory 408,the camera controller 412, the display 416, and/or the I/O components418 may be coupled to each other via one or more local buses (not shownfor simplicity).

The display 416 may be any suitable display or screen allowing for userinteraction and/or to present items (such as captured images and video)for viewing by the user. In some aspects, the display 416 may be atouch-sensitive display. The I/O components 418 may be or include anysuitable mechanism or interface to receive input (such as commands) fromthe user and to provide output to the user. For example, the I/Ocomponents 418 may include (but are not limited to) a graphical userinterface, keyboard, mouse, microphone and speakers, and so on.

The camera controller 412 may include an image signal processor 414,which may be (or may include) one or more image signal processors toprocess captured image frames or video provided by the camera 402. Insome example implementations, the camera controller 412 (such as theimage signal processor 414) may control operation of the camera 402. Insome aspects, the image signal processor 414 may execute instructionsfrom a memory (such as the instructions 410 stored in the memory 408 orinstructions stored in a separate memory coupled to the image signalprocessor 414) to control operation of the camera 402. In other aspects,the image signal processor 414 may include specific hardware to controloperation of the camera 402. The image signal processor 414 mayalternatively or additionally include a combination of specific hardwareand the ability to execute software instructions.

Prior to capturing image frames or video, the device 400 may determineinitial capture settings for the camera 402. If the device 400 is in amanual mode for capturing images, the user may manually set one or moreof the capture settings, and the device 400 uses the camera 402 tocapture an image using the one or more manual settings selected by theuser (with any other settings automatically determined by the device400) for the manual mode. The device 400 may use the camera 402 to alsocapture an image using automatically determined capture settingsassociated with the unselected automatic mode. When using one camera(such as the camera 402) to capture multiple images for the differentmodes, the camera may capture the images in sequence. In one example,the camera 402 may capture a first image using the automatic modecapture settings, and then the camera 402 may capture a second imageusing the manual mode capture settings. In another example, the camera402 may capture a first image using the manual mode capture settings,and then the camera 402 may capture a second image using the automaticmode capture settings. The images may be captured in quick succession toreduce possible global or local motion, or to reduce other changes inthe scene between image captures. For example, the device 400 mayattempt to adjust multiple settings concurrently to reduce the amount oftime before capturing the next image.

Additional or alternative to the device 400 determining capturesettings, the device 400 may determine processing settings forprocessing the image after capture. For example, the device 400determines processing settings to be used by the camera controller 412(such as by the image signal processor 414) in an automatic mode. In amanual mode, a user may set one or more of the processing settings to beused by the camera controller 412 (such as by the image signal processor414). If the capture settings are the same between a manual mode and anautomatic mode, the camera 402 may capture one image, and the cameracontroller may then process multiple instances of the one image for thedifferent processing settings between an automatic mode and a manualmode. For example, the camera controller 412 may process an image usingthe manual mode processing settings and may process a copy of the imageusing automatic mode processing settings. If the capture settings differbetween the automatic mode and the manual mode, the device 400 maycapture an image using the automatic mode capture settings and maycapture an image using the manual mode capture settings. The cameracontroller 412 may use the automatic mode processing settings to processthe image captured using the automatic mode capture settings, and mayuse the manual mode processing settings to process the image capturedusing the manual mode processing settings.

The camera controller 412 may process the two images either sequentiallyor concurrently. For example, a single image signal processor mayprocess the two images sequentially, while separate image signalprocessors or threads of an image signal processor may process the twoimages concurrently, by applying denoising filters, edge enhancementfilters, and so on.

In some example implementations, a device may include multiple cameraswith similar capabilities (such as some dual camera modules fordevices). While a device with multiple cameras may use one of themultiple cameras to capture multiple images, in some exampleimplementations, multiple cameras may be used to capture images usingdifferent capture settings. For example, one camera may capture an imageusing the automatic mode capture settings, and a different camera withthe same capabilities may capture an image using the manual mode capturesettings.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example device 500 including a firstcamera 502 and a second camera 504. The example device 500, which may beone implementation of the devices 300 and 310 of FIGS. 3A and 3B, may beany suitable device capable of capturing images or video. Similar to thedevice 400 of FIG. 4, the device 500 may include (or be coupled to) aprocessor 506 (which may be similar to the processor 406), a memory 508storing instructions 510 (which may be similar to the memory 408 storingthe instructions 410), a camera controller 512 (which may include animage signal processor 514 and may be similar to the camera controller412), a display 516 (which may be similar to the display 416), I/Ocomponents 518 (which may be similar to the I/O components 418), and apower supply 520 (which may be similar to the power supply 420).

The camera controller 512 may be configured to control the first camera502 and the second camera 504. One of the first camera 502 and thesecond camera 504 may be a primary camera, and the other of the firstcamera 502 and the second camera 504 may be an auxiliary camera. Theprimary camera may be used for generating a preview image, which may bedisplayed on the display 516. In some example implementations, the firstcamera 502 captures an image using automatic mode capture settings, andthe second camera 504 captures an image using manual mode capturesettings. The camera controller 512 (such as the image signal processor514) may then process the two captured images. If the processingsettings for the automatic mode and the manual mode differ, the cameracontroller 512 may separately process the image(s) using the differentprocessing settings.

The image signal processor 514 may be one or more processors, cores, orthreads. In one example, the image signal processor 514 may be oneprocessor to process images coming from the first camera 502 and thesecond camera 504. In another example, the image signal processor 514may be multiple processors, such as at least two processors where oneprocessor processes images captured by the first camera 502 and anotherprocessor processes images captured by the second camera 504. In someexample implementations, one processor may be coupled to the firstcamera 502, and another processor may be coupled to the second camera504, or a processor may otherwise be dedicated to processing imagescaptured by a specific camera.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation 600for a device operating in a manual mode to capture an image usingautomatic mode capture settings and to capture an image using manualmode capture settings. While capturing and processing images aredescribed in the following examples, it should be understood thataspects of the invention apply to capturing and processing video, andthe disclosure should not be limited to the following examples.

If a device (such as the example device 400 of FIG. 4 or the exampledevice 500 of FIG. 5) is not operating in a manual mode (602) or ifthere are no differences between the automatic mode capture settings andthe manual mode capture settings (604), the device may capture an imageusing the automatic mode capture settings (606). Capturing one or moreimages may be in response to a user input (such as touching acamera/shutter button, issuing an audible command for capturing animage, squeezing the device to indicate to capture the image, and soon).

In some example implementations, a preview image (or stream) is providedto the user so that the user can preview the image to be captured. Forexample, if the device 400 or 500 is a smartphone, a user may open acamera application in order for a camera 402 or cameras 502 and 504 tocapture one or more images. The user request to open the cameraapplication may cause the device to initialize the one or more cameras,and the device may use a group of initial settings to generate a previewbefore capturing and processing an image (such as when a user presses ashutter button). The initial settings for a preview may include initialcapture settings and initial processing settings. In some exampleimplementations, a preview image is not processed as fully as an imagerequested to be captured by the user. For example, one or more of anoise reduction setting, a gamma correction setting, edge enhancementsetting, and so on may not be applied to a captured image whengenerating a preview image. Only partially processing a preview imagemay reduce the processing time and resources. The preview image not befully processed for generation may impact the preview quality, but thechange in preview quality may not be discernable on a device display orthe preview image may still be acceptable by the user.

A device may use capture and processing settings from an automatic modefor generating the preview image, even if the device is in a manualmode. When a device first generates a preview, the device may useautomatic mode settings to be the initial capture and processingsettings. A user may then adjust or replace one or more of the initialsettings, placing the device in a manual mode. The preview provided bythe device may adjust when adjusting some settings, and the preview mayremain the same for other settings.

In some example implementations for capture settings, adjusting an ISOsetting, aperture size setting, whether to use a flash, or an opticalzoom setting may be reflected in the preview, while adjusting a flashduration or a camera shutter speed setting may not be reflected in thepreview. In some example implementations for processing settings,adjusting a white or color balance setting or a digital zoom setting maybe reflected in the preview, while adjusting a gamma correction setting,a noise reduction setting, or an edge enhancement setting may not bereflected in the preview. In this manner, processing a preview may notrequire more time after adjusting the settings, while a preview is stillprovided to a user before capturing an image.

In some aspects, the device may be able to compare and determine if theautomatic mode capture settings (which are determined and used whengenerating the preview image) are different than the manual mode capturesettings. If the automatic mode capture settings are the same as themanual mode capture settings, the device may capture an image using thecapture settings that were used to generate the preview image.

If one or more of the automatic mode capture settings are different fromthe corresponding manual mode capture settings (604), the device maycapture an image using the automatic mode capture settings (608), andmay also capture an image using the manual mode capture settings (610).While FIG. 6 depicts steps 608 and 610 as being performed in parallel, adevice may capture the images either sequentially or concurrently. Forexample, if one camera (such as the camera 402 of the device 400 of FIG.4) is used to capture both images, the camera may capture the two imagessequentially.

If one or more capture settings are to be manually adjusted, the devicemay capture an image using the initial settings before adjusting one ormore settings and capturing another image. In some exampleimplementations, the device may capture an image using the initialsettings before a capture setting that impacts the preview is adjusted.In some other example implementations, the device may capture a firstimage using the manual mode capture settings (after a user adjusts oneor more capture settings). The device may then apply the automatic modecapture settings (before a user adjusts the one or more capturesettings) to capture the second image.

For another example, if two cameras (such as the cameras 502 and 504 ofthe device 500 of FIG. 5) are used to capture both images, the twocameras may capture the two images concurrently. In some exampleimplementations, only one of the cameras captures a preview. In someother example implementations, any camera may capture a preview. Thechange to one or more capture settings may be applied for a cameracapturing the preview in order to adjust the preview. Alternatively, oneor more manual mode capture settings may be applied for a camera notcapturing a preview so that the preview is not adjusted. In some exampleimplementations where any camera may capture a preview, multiple camerasmay be used to capture multiple previews. For example, the device mayuse one camera to capture a preview using the manual mode capturesettings, and the device may use another camera to capture a previewusing the automatic mode capture settings.

If more than one preview image is generated before capturing an image, adisplay may be configured to display multiple preview images. Forexample, the display may present both preview images concurrently (suchas a side-by-side view, a picture-in-picture view, and so on), thedisplay may switch between presenting the different preview images (suchas using a user input to switch between preview images, including a softbutton or physical button, an audible command, squeezing the device,flicking or rotating the device, and so on), or the display may switchbetween a concurrent view and the separate previews. FIG. 11A is anexample side-by-side view 1100 of multiple previews for the image 102and the image 104 of FIG. 1 before image capture. Different exampleimplementations for a side-by-side view may exist. For example, thedimensions of a display may not allow for both images to be shown intheir entirety without letterboxing. In some example implementations,the side-by-side view may include cropping a portion of the preview forimage 102 and/or a portion of the preview for image 104, letterboxingthe preview for image 102 and/or the preview for image 104, or acombination of both.

FIG. 11B is an example picture-in-picture view 1110 of multiple previewsfor the image 102 and the image 104 before image capture. Differentexample implementations for a picture-in-picture view may exist. Forexample, the preview for image 102 may be cropped to fill the display,the location of the preview for image 104 may be in a different cornerof the display (or adjustable by the user), and the size of the previewfor image 104 may be larger, smaller, and/or adjustable by the user. Insome example implementations, the user may switch between the previewsfor images 102 and 104 being more prominent in the picture-in-pictureview. For example, the user may tap or swipe the preview for image 104,may tap or swipe the display in any location, may squeeze the device,may press a soft button or physical button, may flick or rotate thedevice, and so on, to switch between the previews for images 102 and 104being more prominent in the picture-in-picture view.

An auxiliary camera may have different characteristics or capabilitiesthan the primary camera. For example, an auxiliary camera may have anarrower field of view than the primary camera. With the cameras havingdifferent fields of view, the primary camera may be used to capture boththe image using the automatic mode capture settings and the image usingthe manual mode capture settings. In some example implementations, theauxiliary camera may still be used to generate the preview image for themanual mode settings. If the auxiliary camera's field of view isnarrower that the primary camera's field of view, only a portion of thescene to be captured by the primary camera may exist in the previewimage for the manual mode settings. The preview image may assist a userin determining if any of the manual mode settings should be adjusted andin identifying which manual mode settings are to be adjusted. When theimage is to be generated using the adjusted manual mode settings, thesettings of the primary camera can be adjusted, and the primary cameracan be used to capture the image.

The example processes of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 illustrate examples forgenerating and using one preview when capturing an image using manualmode capture settings and capturing another image using automatic modecapture settings. The example process of FIG. 12 illustrates an examplefor generating and using multiple previews when capturing an image usingmanual mode capture settings and capturing another image using automaticmode capture settings. In the following examples, the automatic modecapture settings may be the capture settings that would be applied by adevice if none of the capture settings are manually adjusted. The manualmode capture settings may be the capture settings after any manualadjustments by a user.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation 700for a device to use one camera to sequentially capture a first imageusing capture settings for a first mode and to capture a second imageusing capture settings for a second mode. In some exampleimplementations, a device (such as the example device 400 of FIG. 4 orthe example device 500 of FIG. 5) may use a camera to generate a previewfor an image to be captured (702). The preview image may be presented toa user (such as on the display 416 of the device 400 of FIG. 4 or on thedisplay 516 of the device 500 of FIG. 5). For example, an initialpreview may be generated using initial capture settings determined bythe device. A user may manually adjust one or more of the initialcapture settings, which may adjust the preview.

The device may determine the capture settings for a first mode, wherethe first mode may be either the automatic mode or the manual mode(704). In some example implementations, if the capture settings forgenerating the preview are closer to the manual mode capture settingsthan the automatic mode capture settings, the first mode may be a manualmode. For example, if a user adjusts the capture settings which adjuststhe preview, the capture settings for generating the preview may be thesame as the manual mode capture settings. In this manner, the first modemay be the manual mode. Alternatively, if the preview is not adjustedwhen adjusting one or more capture settings, or if the capture settingsfor generating the preview is the same as the automatic mode capturesettings, the first mode may be the automatic mode. In this manner, theadjustments to the capture settings before capturing a first image maybe reduced to reduce latency or power consumption.

If the capture settings for generating the preview are to be adjustedfor capturing the first image, the device may adjust the capturesettings (not shown). With the capture settings being set for a firstmode, the device may capture the first image (706). If the first mode isan automatic mode, the device captures a first image using the automaticmode capture settings. If the first mode is a manual mode, the devicecaptures a first image using the manual mode capture settings.

If the capture settings for first mode are the same as the capturesettings for the second mode (708), the device may capture only oneimage, and the operation 700 ends. For example, if the automatic modecapture settings are used to generate a preview, and the automatic modecapture settings are the same as the manual mode capture settings, thedevice may capture one image since there is no difference in capturingimages using the automatic mode capture settings or the manual modecapture settings. If one or more of the capture settings for the firstmode are different from the corresponding capture settings for thesecond mode, the device may adjust the capture settings used forcapturing the first image to the capture settings for the second mode(710). The device may then capture a second image using the adjustedcapture settings (712). For example, if the automatic mode capturesettings are used to generate a preview, or the device adjusts thecapture settings for the preview image to the automatic mode capturesettings for capturing a first image, the device may capture the firstimage using the automatic mode capture settings. The device may thenadjust the used capture settings to the manual mode capture settings andcapture another image using the adjusted capture settings. In anotherexample, if the manual mode capture settings are used to generate apreview, or the device adjusts the capture settings for the previewimage to the manual mode capture settings for capturing a first image,the device may capture the first image using the manual mode capturesettings. The device may then adjust the used capture settings to theautomatic mode capture settings and capture another image using theadjusted capture settings.

In some example implementations, if capture settings for generating thepreview image are different than the capture settings used in capturingthe second image (712), the device may revert the capture settings tothe previous capture settings used to generate the preview image (notshown) so that the device may generate another preview image. In someother example implementations, the last used capture settings may beused to generate the preview images after capturing the second image. Infurther example implementations, the user may select between the capturesettings used in capturing the first image, the second image, and/or thepreview image in order for a device to determine the capture settingsfor generating a preview image after capturing the second image.

A device may use different cameras to capture the first and secondimages. FIG. 8 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an exampleoperation 800 for a device to use two cameras to capture a first imageusing capture settings for a first mode and to capture a second imageusing capture settings for a second mode. The first image may correspondto a manual mode or an automatic mode, with the second imagecorresponding to the other mode. If the device has two or more cameras(such as a dual camera module), a first camera (such as the first camera502 of the device 500 of FIG. 5) may be a primary camera, and a secondcamera (such as the second camera 504 of the device 500 of FIG. 5) maybe an auxiliary camera. The primary camera may be used to generate thepreview image and to capture a first image, and the auxiliary camera maybe used to assist the primary camera as well as to capture a secondimage. For example, the auxiliary camera may be used to set or adjustthe focus of the primary camera, to provide more depth or detail in lowlight situations, and so on.

In some example implementations, a first camera may be used to generatea preview image (802). The device may also determine the capturesettings to be used by the first camera for capturing a first image(804). If the capture settings for capturing a first image are the sameas the capture settings used to generate the preview image, the devicemay capture the first image using the first camera without adjusting thecapture settings (806). If the capture settings for capturing a firstimage are different than the capture settings used to generate thepreview image, the device may adjust the capture settings for the firstcamera (not shown), and capture the first image using the adjustedcapture settings (806). If the capture settings used to capture thefirst image are the same as the capture settings to be used to capturethe second image (808), the device may capture only one image using thefirst camera, and may not use the second camera to capture an image (andthe operation 800 ends). Thus, similar to the above description of usingone camera to capture multiple images, the device may process a firstinstance of the captured image using manual mode processing settings andmay process a second instance of the captured image using automatic modeprocessing settings. For example, if the automatic mode capture settingsare used to generate a preview, and the automatic mode capture settingsare the same as the manual mode capture settings, the device may use thefirst camera to capture one image without using the second camera, andthe device may process multiple instances of the image captured by thefirst camera.

If one or more of the capture settings used in capturing the first imageare different than the one or more capture settings to be used incapturing the second image, the device may use the second camera tocapture the second image (810). In this manner, the capture settings forthe first camera may not need to be adjusted. For example, if theautomatic mode capture settings are used to generate a preview, and theautomatic mode capture settings are different from the manual modecapture settings, the device may capture an image using the first cameraalready set with the automatic mode capture settings. The device maycapture another image using the second camera set with the manual modecapture settings (without adjusting the capture settings for the firstcamera used to generate the preview). Similarly, if the manual modecapture settings are used to generate a preview, the device may capturean image using the first camera already set with the manual mode capturesettings (without adjusting the capture settings for the first cameraused to generate the preview).

In some example implementations, a camera may be specific to anautomatic mode or a manual mode for capturing images. For example, aprimary camera may capture an image using the automatic mode capturesettings while an auxiliary camera may capture an image using the manualmode capture settings. In some other example implementations, the devicemay use any camera for automatic mode or for manual mode. In thismanner, for example, a camera used to capture a preview may have thecapture settings adjusted to a manual mode or an automatic mode based onwhether the capture settings to capture the preview or closer to theautomatic mode capture settings or the manual mode capture settings (toreduce latency when adjusting the settings).

While FIG. 8 depicts steps 806, 808, and 810 as being performedsequentially, the steps 806, 808, and 810 of FIG. 8 may be performedconcurrently (in parallel), or may be performed in a different orderthan depicted. For example, a first camera may be initialized using afirst set of capture settings independently from a second camera beinginitialized using a second set of capture settings. Additionally, oralternatively, the first camera and the second camera may capture thefirst image and the second image concurrently or sequentially. If theimages are captured sequentially, the images may be captured in anyorder.

In addition, or in the alternative, one or more processing settings usedto process the captured images may differ between an automatic mode anda manual mode. In one example, a user may select a different colorbalance or white balance setting than would be automatically determinedby the device. In another example, a user may select a different noisefactor for denoising than would be automatically determined by thedevice.

In some example implementations, the processing settings may be selectedbefore capturing the one or more images. The device thus proceeds withprocessing an image using the determined processing settings. In someother example implementations, the processing settings may be selectedafter capturing the one or more images. For example, an image may bedisplayed that is captured using the manual mode capture settings butprocessed using the automatic mode processing settings. The user maythen adjust one or more of the processing settings (such as colorbalance or noise factor), and the device updates the processed image forthe adjusted processing settings. When the user is finished adjustingthe processing settings, the device may receive an input from the userto save the image processed using the final adjusted processingsettings.

If one or more processing settings are adjusted during a preview, thegenerated preview may be adjusted to reflect the changes. For example,if a digital zoom setting is adjusted, the preview may show the effectof the adjusted digital zoom. In another example, a change in the colorbalance setting may be reflected in a tint of the preview image.Alternatively, some processing settings may not impact the generatedpreview. For example, if a noise reduction filter is not implementedwhen generating a preview, changes to the noise reduction setting maynot be reflected in the preview. In some other example implementations,changes to the processing settings may not be used by the device toupdate the preview image. In this manner, the processing settings forgenerating a preview may be automatic mode processing settings, manualmode processing settings, a combination of automatic mode and manualmode processing settings, or a group of processing settings unrelated toa manual mode or an automatic mode.

In some example implementations, a camera controller (such as the cameracontroller 412 of FIG. 4 or the camera controller 512 of FIG. 5) mayprocess the captured images using the processing settings. For example,one or more image signal processors (such as the image signal processor414 of FIG. 4 or the image signal processor 514 of FIG. 5) may processthe multiple images. In one example, an image processed using the manualmode processing settings and an image processed using the automatic modeprocessing settings may have the same filters applied as an imageprocessed using the processing settings for generating a preview image(such as a denoising filter, edge enhancement filter, color balancefilter, and so on), and the inputs or criteria for the one or morefilters may differ between the two modes. In another example, thepreview image may have less filters applied than for the automatic modeand the manual mode. For example, a denoising filter and an edgeenhancement filter may not be applied while a gamma correction filter isapplied to generate a preview image.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example image signal processor 900. Theimage signal processor 900 may be an example implementation of the imagesignal processor 414 of FIG. 4 or the image signal processor 514 of FIG.5. As shown in FIG. 9, the image signal processor 900 may include aplurality of filters (such as Filter 1 902-1A, Filter 2 902-1B, throughFilter N 902-1N) to be applied to a captured image provided by a camerasensor (such as from the camera 402 of FIG. 4, the first camera 502 ofFIG. 5, or the first camera 504 of FIG. 5). If the image signalprocessor 900 is a multi-thread processor, the image signal processor900 may include a group of filters for each thread. For example, thegroup of filters for a second thread may include Filter 1 902-2A, Filter2 902-2B, through Filter N 902-2N. If the image signal processor 900includes P number of threads, the P^(th) thread may include Filter 1902-PA, Filter 2 902-PB, through Filter N 902-PN. Alternatively, theimage signal processor 900 may be a single thread processor. In someexample implementations, Filter 1 (902-1A, 902-2A, and 902-PA) may be anoise reduction filter, Filter 2 (902-1B, 902-2B, and 902-PB) may be anedge enhancement filter, and Filter N (902-1N, 902-2N, and 902-PN) maybe a final filter to complete processing the captured image.

In some example implementations, the same filter of different threadsmay use different settings for processing a captured image. For example,the noise reduction filter 902-1A of a first thread may use a differentnoise factor than the noise reduction filter 902-2A of a second thread.In this manner, different captured images (or different instances of thesame captured image) may be processed using different processingsettings. Additionally, or alternatively, multiple processors may beused to process multiple captured images (or multiple instances of thesame captured image) using different processing settings.

FIG. 10 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation1000 for processing captured images using one or more differentautomatic mode processing settings and corresponding manual modeprocessing settings. The example operation 1000 is described below withrespect to the image signal processor 900 of FIG. 9 and regardingprocessing settings that may be manually adjusted before image capture.However, multiple or different processors or other configurations of acamera controller or processor (such as a separate image signalprocesser for each camera) may be used, and different timings foradjusting the processing settings (such as before or after imagecapture) may occur, in performing the example operation 1000.

Two captured images may be received by the image signal processor 900.For example, if one camera is used to capture an image using theautomatic mode capture settings and capture another image using themanual mode capture settings, the two images may be providedsequentially to the image signal processor 900 in the order they arecaptured. If multiple cameras are used to capture the two images, theimages may be provided concurrently or sequentially to the image signalprocessor 900, based on when the images are captured. If two capturedimages are received by the image signal processor 900 (1002), thendifferent capture settings may have been used for capturing the twoimages. In this manner, an image captured using the automatic modecapture settings may be processed using the automatic mode processingsettings, and an image captured using the manual mode capture settingsmay be processed using the manual mode processing settings.

Conversely, if two captured images are not received by the image signalprocessor 900 (1002), then the automatic mode capture settings may bethe same as the manual mode capture settings (with only one image beingcaptured for the capture settings). To apply different manual modeprocessing settings and automatic manual mode processing settings to onecaptured image, the image signal processor 900 (or other component, suchas the camera) may create a second instance of the captured image to beused as a second captured image (1004). For example, the image signalprocessor 900 may duplicate a first captured image to create a secondcaptured image that is the same as the first captured image.

The image signal processor 900 may then process the first captured imageusing the automatic mode processing settings (1006). The image signalprocessor 900 may also process the second captured image using themanual mode processing settings (1008). For example, if the processingsettings are the same between the manual mode and the automatic modeexcept for a gamma correction, the image signal processor 900 may applythe same filters with the same settings for both images except for thegamma correction filter. In this manner, the image signal processor 900may apply the gamma correction filter with different settings to thefirst captured image and the second captured image. In one exampleimplementation, the image signal processor 900 may use one thread withthe automatic mode processing settings to process the first capturedimage, and may use a different thread with the manual mode settings toprocess the second captured image. In another example implementation,the image signal processor 900 may use one thread (such as filters902-1A through 902-1N) to process both the first captured image and thesecond captured image. For example, the image signal processor 900 mayfirst use the filters of the first thread with the automatic modeprocessing settings to process the first captured image, and may thenadjust one or more filters using the manual mode processing settings andprocess the second image capture using the filters of the same threadwith the manual mode processing settings.

Generating a preview for the automatic mode settings and generating aseparate preview for the manual mode settings may assist a user indeciding whether to continue in a manual mode (thus using the manualmode capture and processing settings) or switch to an automatic mode(thus using only the automatic mode capture and processing settings). Aspreviously illustrated, the previews may be concurrently displayed, orthe device may switch between displaying the previews. In this manner,the preview for the manual mode settings may be adjusted as one or moresettings are adjusted, and the adjusted preview image may be compared tothe preview image for the automatic mode.

FIG. 12 is an illustrative flow chart depicting an example operation1200 for generating multiple preview images using multiple cameras (suchas cameras 502 and 504 of FIG. 5) and capturing multiple images usingone camera (such as camera 502 of FIG. 5). A device may generate a firstpreview image using a first camera (such as a primary camera) and theautomatic mode settings (1202). For example, a primary camera configuredwith the automatic mode capture settings and an image signal processorthread configured with the automatic mode processing settings may beused to generate a preview image for the automatic mode settings. Adevice also may generate a second preview image using a second camera(such as an auxiliary camera) and the manual mode settings (1204). Forexample, an auxiliary camera configured with the manual mode capturesettings and an image signal processor thread configured with the manualmode processing settings may be used to generate a preview image for themanual mode settings. With two preview images being generated for thedifferent mode settings, one or more of the preview images may bedisplayed (1206). For example, a display may present a side-by-side viewof the preview images, a picture-in-picture view of the preview images,switch between presenting the first preview image and the second previewimage, and so on.

A user may determine that one or more manual mode settings are to beadjusted before an image is captured. In response, a device may receiveone or more user inputs to adjust the manual mode settings. For example,a display may present the view 1100 of FIG. 11A to a user, and the usermay identify that the exposure value for the image 102 is too low. As aresult, the user may provide one or more user inputs to adjust theexposure value.

If one or more manual mode settings are to be adjusted before capturingan image (1208), the one or more manual mode settings are adjusted(1210). The preview for image the manual mode settings is then generatedusing the adjusted manual mode settings (1204). If the manual modesettings are not to be adjusted before capturing an image (1208), afirst image may be captured using the first camera and the automaticmode settings (1212). After capturing the first image (1212), theautomatic mode capture settings may be adjusted to the manual modecapture settings for the first camera (1214). The second image may thenbe captured using the first camera and the manual mode settings (1216).

In the alternative, the camera to capture the first image and the secondimage may have the manual mode settings applied. In this manner, thedevice may first capture an image using the manual mode capturesettings, adjust the capture settings for the camera to the automaticmode capture settings, and capture another image using the automaticmode capture settings.

One or more processors (such as the image signal processor 900 of FIG.9) may process concurrently or in sequence the first image capture andthe second image capture. In some example implementations, the firstimage capture may be processed using automatic mode processing settings,and the second image capture may be processed using manual modeprocessing settings. If the automatic mode processing settings are thesame as the manual mode processing settings, the one or more processorsmay use the same processing settings to process the two captured images.

The techniques described herein may be implemented in hardware,software, firmware, or any combination thereof, unless specificallydescribed as being implemented in a specific manner. For example, thedescribed various processes and determinations may be implemented asspecialty or integrated circuits in an image signal processor, assoftware (such as the instructions 410 of FIG. 4 or the instructions 510of FIG. 5) to be executed by the image signal processor 414 or by theimage signal processor 514 (which may be one or more image signalprocessors) of the camera controller 412 or the camera controller 512,respectively, or one of the processor 406 or the processor 506,respectively (which may be one or more processors), or as firmware. Anyfeatures described may also be implemented together in an integratedlogic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices.If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least inpart by a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium (such as thememory 408 of FIG. 4 or the memory 508 of FIG. 5) comprisinginstructions (such as the instructions 410 or the instructions 510 orother instructions accessible by one or more image signal processors 414or image signal processors 514) that, when executed by one or moreprocessors (such as the processor 406 or the processor 506 or one ormore image signal processors in the camera controller 412 or the cameracontroller 512), performs one or more of the methods described above.The non-transitory processor-readable data storage medium may form partof a computer program product, which may include packaging materials.

The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium may comprise randomaccess memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory(SDRAM), read only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory(NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),FLASH memory, other known storage media, and the like. The techniquesadditionally, or alternatively, may be realized at least in part by aprocessor-readable communication medium that carries or communicatescode in the form of instructions or data structures and that can beaccessed, read, and/or executed by a computer or other processor.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits andinstructions described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be executed by one or more processors, such as the processor406 or the image signal processor 414 in FIG. 4 or the processor 506 orthe image signal processor 514 in FIG. 5. Such processor(s) may includebut are not limited to one or more digital signal processors (DSPs),general purpose microprocessors, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), application specific instruction set processors(ASIPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalentintegrated or discrete logic circuitry. The term “processor,” as usedherein may refer to any of the foregoing structures or any otherstructure suitable for implementation of the techniques describedherein. In addition, in some aspects, the functionality described hereinmay be provided within dedicated software modules or hardware modulesconfigured as described herein. Also, the techniques could be fullyimplemented in one or more circuits or logic elements. A general purposeprocessor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processormay be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor,a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors inconjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

While the present disclosure shows illustrative aspects, it should benoted that various changes and modifications could be made hereinwithout departing from the scope of the appended claims. For example,example capture and processing settings are provided, but otherprocessing or capture settings may be used. Additionally, the functions,steps or actions of the method claims in accordance with aspectsdescribed herein need not be performed in any particular order unlessexpressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although elements may bedescribed or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unlesslimitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Accordingly, thedisclosure is not limited to the illustrated examples, and any means forperforming the functionality described herein are included in aspects ofthe disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device configured to operate in a manual modefor image or video capture, comprising: one or more processors; and amemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the device to: determine one or more capture settingsfor an automatic mode; generate a first preview image using the one ormore capture settings for the automatic mode; determine one or morecapture settings for the manual mode; generate a second preview imageusing the one or more capture settings for the manual mode, wherein atleast one characteristic for the second preview image is the same as theat least one characteristic for the first preview image based on a typeof at least one capture setting from the one or more capture settingsfor the manual mode; generate a first image frame of a scene using theone or more capture settings for the manual mode; if the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode are different than the one ormore capture settings for the manual mode, then generate a second imageframe of the scene using the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode; process the generated first image frame using manualmode processing settings; and process the generated second image frameusing automatic mode processing settings; wherein the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode and the one or more capturesettings for the manual mode include one or more of a zoom setting, aflash brightness, a flash duration, and a flash color.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein execution of the instructions further causes the deviceto: capture the first image frame using the one or more capture settingsfor the manual mode; and capture the second image frame using the one ormore capture settings for the automatic.
 3. The device of claim 2,further comprising a first camera configured to: capture the first imageframe using the one or more capture settings for the manual mode; andcapture the second image frame using the one or more capture settingsfor the automatic mode.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein execution ofthe instructions further causes the device to: generate the firstpreview image before capturing the first image frame and the secondimage frame; and adjust one or more capture settings between capturingthe first and the second image frames.
 5. The device of claim 4, whereinexecution of the instructions further causes the device to: generate thesecond preview image before capturing the first image frame and thesecond image frame.
 6. The device of claim 4, wherein execution of theinstructions further causes the device to: adjust one or more manualmode capture settings in response to a user input; and after adjustingthe one or more manual mode capture settings, generate a third previewimage using the adjusted one or more manual mode capture settings. 7.The device of claim 4, further comprising a display, wherein executionof the instructions further causes the device to: present on the displaythe first preview image and the second preview image.
 8. The device ofclaim 4, wherein execution of the instructions for presenting causes thedevice to: concurrently present the first preview image and the secondpreview image on the display.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the oneor more capture settings for the automatic mode and the one or morecapture settings for the manual mode include the zoom setting.
 10. Amethod for image or video capture using a device operating in a manualmode, comprising: determining one or more capture settings for anautomatic mode; generating a first preview image using the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode; determining one or more capturesettings for the manual mode; generating a second preview image usingthe one or more capture settings for the manual mode, wherein at leastone characteristic for the second preview image is the same as the atleast one characteristic for the first preview image based on a type ofat least one capture setting from the one or more capture settings forthe manual mode; generating a first image frame of a scene using the oneor more capture settings for the manual mode; if the one or more capturesettings for the automatic mode are different than the one or morecapture settings for the manual mode, then generating a second imageframe of the scene using the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode; processing the generated first image frame using manualmode processing settings; and processing the generated second imageframe using automatic mode processing settings; wherein the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode and the one or more capturesettings for the manual mode include one or more of a zoom setting, aflash brightness, a flash duration, and a flash color.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising: capturing the first image frame using theone or more capture settings for the manual mode; and capturing thesecond image frame using the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:capturing, with a first camera, the first image frame using the one ormore capture settings for the manual mode; and capturing, with the firstcamera, the second image frame using the one or more capture settingsfor the automatic mode.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:generating the first preview image before capturing the first imageframe and the second image frame; and adjusting capture settings betweencapturing the first and the second image frames.
 14. The method of claim13, further comprising: generating the second preview image beforecapturing the first image frame and the second image frame; adjustingone or more manual mode capture settings in response to a user input;after adjusting the one or more manual mode capture settings, generatinga third preview image using the adjusted one or more manual mode capturesettings; and presenting, on a display of the device, the first previewimage and the second preview image.
 15. The method of claim 10, whereinthe one or more capture settings for the automatic mode and the one ormore capture settings for the manual mode include the zoom setting. 16.A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprisinginstructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a deviceconfigured to operate in a manual mode, cause the device to perform anumber of operations comprising: determining one or more capturesettings for an automatic mode; generating a first preview image usingthe one or more capture settings for the automatic mode; determining oneor more capture settings for the manual mode; generating a secondpreview image using the one or more capture settings for the manualmode, wherein at least one characteristic for the second preview imageis the same as the at least one characteristic for the first previewimage based on a type of at least one capture setting from the one ormore capture settings for the manual mode; generating a first imageframe of a scene using the one or more capture settings for the manualmode; if the one or more capture settings for the automatic mode aredifferent than the one or more capture settings for the manual mode,then generating a second image frame of the scene using the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode; processing the generated firstimage frame using manual mode processing settings; and processing thegenerated second image frame using automatic mode processing settings;wherein the one or more capture settings for the automatic mode and theone or more capture settings for the manual mode include one or more ofa zoom setting, a flash brightness, a flash duration, and a flash color.17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16,wherein execution of the instructions causes the device to performoperations further comprising: capturing the first image frame using theone or more capture settings for the manual mode; and capturing thesecond image frame using the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 17, wherein execution of the instructions causes the device toperform operations further comprising: generating the first previewimage using a first camera and the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode before capturing the first image frame and the secondimage frame using the first camera; capturing the first image frameusing the first camera and the one or more capture settings for themanual mode; capturing the second image frame using the first camera andthe one or more capture settings for the automatic mode; and adjustingcapture settings between capturing the first and the second imageframes.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim18, wherein execution of the instructions causes the device to performoperations further comprising: generating the second preview imagebefore capturing the first image frame and the second image frame;adjusting one or more manual mode capture settings in response to a userinput; after adjusting the one or more manual mode capture settings,generating a third preview image using the adjusted one or more manualmode capture settings; and presenting, on a display of the device, thefirst preview image and the second preview image.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode and the one or more capturesettings for the manual mode include the zoom setting.
 21. A deviceconfigured to operate in a manual mode, comprising: means fordetermining one or more capture settings for an automatic mode; meansfor generating a first preview image using the one or more capturesettings for the automatic mode; means for determining one or morecapture settings for the manual mode; means for generating a secondpreview image using the one or more capture settings for the manualmode, wherein at least one characteristic for the second preview imageis the same as the at least one characteristic for the first previewimage based on a type of at least one capture setting from the one ormore capture settings for the manual mode; means for generating a firstimage frame of a scene using the one or more capture settings for themanual mode; means for generating a second image frame of the sceneusing the one or more capture settings for the automatic mode if the oneor more capture settings for the automatic mode are different than theone or more capture settings for the manual mode; means for processingthe generated first image frame using manual mode processing settings ofthe manual mode settings; and means for processing the generated secondimage frame using automatic mode processing settings of the automaticmode settings; wherein the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode and the one or more capture settings for the manual modeinclude one or more of a zoom setting, a flash brightness, a flashduration, and a flash color.
 22. The device of claim 21, furthercomprising: means for capturing the first image frame using the one ormore capture settings for the manual mode; and means for capturing thesecond image frame using the one or more capture settings for theautomatic mode.
 23. The device of claim 21, wherein the one or morecapture settings for the automatic mode and the one or more capturesettings for the manual mode include the zoom setting.